Opening Doors & Venues is the designated project management provider to the MDP Training Consortium, offering support and consultation throughout the group's delivery process. Our owner manager Rose Padmore is herself an integral member of the consortium, as her expertise in planning and collaboration is crucial in enabling the other members to work together towards common goals. Rose has herself acted as a training provider on some of the consortium's projects, imparting her knowledge and experience in organisation and entrepreneurship to trainees and colleagues.

The MDP Training Consortium is a group of experienced Media Development Professionals who have worked for several years as trainers, producers and entrepreneurs in the Northwest media and digital industries scene. The role of Media Development Professional was initiated by Media Training Northwest in 2001. Our support and interest in the work over the years has been consistent and enlarged to include the delivery of media industry training at various levels.

Together we combine business skills with training skills and have a significant and unique understanding and empathy with the demands made on freelancers working in the Northwest Media and Digital industries.

ABOUT US

The MDP Training Consortium consists of media trainers and practitioners. We are frequently employed on a freelance basis by Northwest Vision + Media and by various higher education and further education establishments in the Northwest. We are senior media professionals in our own right and have displayed an entrepreneurial approach in various Northwest based media businesses.

Janet Graves has worked in the North West media environment for 20 years as a television and radio producer for BBC, Channel 4, Discovery Channel, Granada. She is a founding partner in Pennine Productions LLP, making factual documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and is currently developing a series of online business podcasts funded by the Northwest Development Agency. Janet lectures in Media production at the University of Salford and has a Post Graduate Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring practice.

Christine Pyke’s award winning television productions span over 20 years. She ran her own highly successful independent production company ’Wildtrack TV’ before moving into media training and consultancy. Her recent work includes developing industry led courses with universities and colleges to upskill the Northwest’s media and digital industries. She has extensive contacts locally and nationally.

John Forrest’s career has taken him round most sectors of radio and TV industry. His BBC productions won several international awards including a Sony Award for creative use of radio. He became a producer-director for BBC TV in 1989 before moving to Manchester in 1993 as a bi-media producer. He has been freelance since 2001 and continues programme making whilst developing various enterprises in media and training for industry.

Rose Padmore is an experienced professional conference organiser and has been pivotal in the management and delivery of several projects in the Audio Visual Industry including Positively Diverse, a conference for Media Training Northwest, The Digital Futures Programme of 7 events including a 3 day academy for Northwest Vision + Media, Marketing Match Networking Events with NMP ltd for CIDS, Connect + Partner 3-day academy for NWV+M and Digital Central’s programme of events supporting the Serious Games Industry, titled ‘Playing at Your Business’, for the Media Lab, Birmingham City University.

Anna Laura Malago is joint director of Clearcut Communications, an independent TV company with a string of RTS nominations and awards - the latest was last year for a Cutting Edge documentary for Channel 4. Anna Laura, a former BBC series producer, has 20 years' experience on a wide range of high-profile factual programmes for UK and US broadcasters. She has also extensive experience in media training and consultancy having been a mentor and trainer for NWV+M for the past few years.

Paul Smith is a radio broadcaster with over 20 years' experience in commercial radio and working for the BBC. He founded and runs a professional production company called Reactive Audio in Warrington, Cheshire offering audio and voice over services and media training. He has freelanced for Key 103 and Magic 1152 in Manchester and was programme manager for Magic 1152 from 1998-2001. Paul is a visiting lecturer in radio production at the University of Chester and has been a MDP mentor for a number of years.